Doctor Who University
by myformofimagination
Summary: Rose Tyler is still mourning the loss of her beloved mentor when she starts a new semester of classes. Unexpectedly, she develops a strong bond with his replacement - a tall, thin professor with really great hair.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: A Doctor Who university AU with Rose and other companions as students and the Tenth Doctor as a professor who goes by John Smith. Features some of Nine and Eleven, whose names have been changed to the actor's name and are separate people (e.g. Nine is Chris and Eleven is Matt). Rated T, but will probably change in the future due to mature content. I do not own Doctor Who or their characters, unfortunately; nor do I own the cover picture, which I assume belongs to BBC. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Is this even the right part of the building?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Rose Tyler retorted as she and her roommate wandered through the hallway. "Two years at this university and this is the first time I've ever had to come to this building."

Martha Jones reread the room number from the syllabus in her hand and checked the numbers on the doors. "Well this is 119 and our room is 319. So we've gotta go up, I suppose."

"It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out," Rose said with a giggle, poking fun at the fact that Martha was enrolled as a medical student here at the school. Martha shot daggers at Rose but playfully nudged her as they found the stairs.

Rose had met Martha during her orientation before her freshman year. They'd become friends easily as they both had very sweet and friendly personalities. But Rose was a bit more mischievous than Martha, and when she decided that the tour they were on was too boring for her taste she decided to take it upon herself to check out the campus. It didn't take long for her to realize she'd gotten herself lost. And little did she know, her disappearance created quite a stir. About two hours later, a guy who was hosting one of the tour guides found Rose sitting on a bench in the courtyard reading a book she'd packed in her book bag. Martha had accompanied him and when he called out to her, Martha ran over to Rose and threw her arms around her, "Oh my god, he found you!" Rose was touched by her new friend's worry over her. After the orientation weekend, both realized they were quite desperate for a roommate. So they decided to get a dorm together.

This was their third year rooming together as they had developed a deep friendship, as well as with their two other roommates.

Rose Tyler was a 21 year old student who was majoring in journalism. A major that she didn't choose until her second year. What she really loved was history; but everyone had advised her against majoring in it. Especially her mother, Jackie, who went on and on about how such a major didn't pay well and where was she going to find a job. Rose's favorite complaint was her mother's "What are you gonna do? Build a time machine and travel back in time? Might as well go to the future then if that's how serious you're gonna take college!" So Rose planned to minor in history whenever she declared a major. It wasn't until the second half of her first year that she found out what that should be.

Professor Chris Smith, her first history class teacher, was the man who helped Rose discover her passion. He was the head of the journalism department and through their time spent together, Rose found a deep appreciation for journalism and desire to find out the truth. Through class and office hours, Rose discovered a strong connection with the teacher, who reciprocated her feelings. He helped her find a balance between her old love of history and new love of journalism, especially since he too was fond of both and taught a variety of classes in both subjects. And soon, he became somewhat of a mentor to her and she found she cared very deeply for him.

That's why his death over the summer was such a tragedy for Rose.

Rose had spent the remainder of the summer grieving. She found a lot of support through her roommates and friends; even from her boss and, reluctantly, from her boyfriend. But now that the semester was starting again, Rose was beginning to feel the sadness return.

Rose and Martha finally found the right room 5 minutes before the class was supposed to begin.

"Hey," Martha reached out and grabbed Rose's hand as they took their seat. "It'll be ok."

"What are you –"

Martha smiled, "Rose, you always get that look when you start thinking about _him_. You've spent your time grieving; it's a new year and it's time to move forward. There's nothing we can do about death besides take our own life and move forward, carrying the memories with us. If there's one thing I've learned from some of the patients in the hospital, it's that."

Rose smiled and nodded, knowing that her friend was right. She found it easier to be happy most of the time, as long as she didn't ponder too long on her old mentor. The hardest part was going to be later today when she would have to go to her history class. Chris was supposed to be her teacher, and now there was going to be someone new. She wasn't sure how she would deal with it.

But her thoughts shifted when a familiar face walked through the classroom doors and looked around the room until they found her.

"Jack!" Rose called out as he hopped up the stairs and took a seat next to her, giving her a firm hug.

"Rose Tyler! It's been so long; how did you manage to keep out of touch?" he purred as he cupped her face and looked her over.

Martha cleared her throat in a not-so-subtle manor.

"Oh! Jack Harkness, meet Martha Jones," Rose introduced.

Jack reached his arm across Rose and shook Martha's hand. "Hello, Martha Jones."

Martha blushed, "Why hello. And how do you two know each other?"

"Jack and I met freshman year in history with Chris," Rose explained.

Jack grabbed Rose's hand, "I heard about what happened to him. I'm sorry, I know how close you two had gotten. I shed quite a few tears myself when I read it in the paper. He was a good guy; I wouldn't be the man I am now if it wasn't for his influence."

"How so?" Martha asked curiously.

Rose thought back to the type of guy Jack was when they'd first met. Jack was devilishly handsome; and he knew it. He found a way of making money by scamming people, and he made the mistake of trying to scam Chris. But Chris was sharp and quickly saw through Jack's games. And in his own way, he helped Jack see through all the bull he was setting his life up to become.

"Let's just say that I wish I'd never met him," Jack chuckled fondly as he shared a sweet look with Rose, "I was much better off as a coward."

Jack wrapped an arm around Rose and gave her a hug, kissing her forehead as Martha smiled at the pair.

Rose felt the tears prick at the edges of her eyes, but she fought to keep them away. It'd been a couple of weeks since she'd cried last, a personal record; and she wasn't about to give in now, especially when class was about to start.

Rose had noticed a few other students beginning to fill up the room, but she didn't recognize any of them. Not that she expected to, really. This was a requirement class that she needed for one of her ridiculous science subjects. And since Martha needed to fill the same requirement, she decided to take the class with her, much to Rose's appreciation.

The start time for class approached, and the teacher was still nowhere to be seen.

"Where do you think the professor is?" Martha asked as the classmates around them began to get a little antsy. "This is the right classroom and time, right?"

Rose shrugged, pulling out the paper with her class information on it as Martha looked it over. "I don't think I recognize the professor's name."

"Oh, you mean John Smith?" Jack's attention stirred and it was hard to miss the slight hitch in his voice.

Rose and Martha grinned. "Hot for teacher, Jackie Boy?" Rose teased.

Jack chuckled and rose an eye brow. "Girls, I'm a theater major – and I'm taking physics. I think my true agenda is a bit revealing."

"If you're a theater major then how do you even know about this guy?" Martha asked, trying to calm her giggles.

"He's not just a physics teacher," Jack explained. "I actually had him last year; he taught a Shakespeare class. He likes acting on stage but he's mostly done Shakespeare. Back when I had him he was playing in Hamlet with a big shot theater company. He performed a bit for us when we got to that play and god, he was amazing! I'm really surprised neither of you have heard about him on campus any. He's very popular amongst the female students; and quite a few males."

Rose and Martha looked at each other and shrugged. Rose scoffed. "So he's a hot shot handsome actor who teaches physics on the side?"

"I don't know," Jack grinned, "but I hope that's not the only thing he does on the side."

Martha rolled her eyes and smiled, "Well it's been 10 minutes. Isn't there some kind of rule that says if a teacher is so many minutes late, then all the students are allowed to leave?"

Before either Rose or Jack could reply, the door to the classroom frantically opened. In ran a tall, thin man in a floor length brown overcoat. After he sat his briefcase down he pulled the coat off to reveal a bright blue pinstripe suit underneath with a white collared shirt and purple tie.

He stepped from behind his podium and Rose had to cover her mouth. She had to admit, he looked sharp. Even in the ridiculously clashing red converse trainers.

The professor reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of black rimmed glasses, and smiled brightly for the class.

"Hello! Ok –" the professor cleared his throat and creased his eye brows. He ran his tongue across the front of his teeth. "New teeth. That's weird." He looked up and noticed that his students were staring at him as if he were an alien. "Sorry, sorry. I had a dentist appointment that ran over a smidge too long. And now my teeth are all slimy and weird feeling," he made a dramatic face as he scrunched his nose and ran his tongue across his teeth again. "They almost feel like brand new teeth. Y'know what I mean?"

The class stayed quiet, completely paralyzed. Rose noticed she'd been sitting with her mouth partly open and her eye brow creased as she'd watched the man's wild display, but she simply couldn't pull her gaze away.

The professor's head dipped from the lack of response and cleared his throat once again. He walked behind the podium and opened his briefcase.

"Let's get started then. Good morning class. Are we sitting comfortably?" Rose heard a couple of classmates murmur and mumble a response. "Good. Because I'd appreciate it if, for the most part, you all stuck to the same seats. For future project purposes you'll be grouped up with two to three partners, and from prior experience I've realized that most students just chose the people sitting closest to them."

Rose, Martha, and Jack exchanged knowing glances, subliminally recognizing that the three of them would team up.

"My name is John Smith, and I will be teaching this class for the semester. You can call me John or Mr. Smith or Professor – you can call me the Oncoming Storm for all I care." A light laughter swept through the seats and Professor Smith smiled. "Ahh, there's some response! I knew you had it in you. Please, don't let me do all the talking this semester; I can talk a lot faster than this and you don't want me filling in the entire hour or so with just my voice. I've got a lot to teach you, but you all have a lot to teach me as well. Let me hear your lovely voices."

Rose found herself smiling. She always liked professors who were willing to have an open communication with their students. The ones who simply stood in front of the class and lectured, never bothered to learn your name, and pretty much didn't care if you learned something or not were the worst and she found it a chore to attend class.

The professor grabbed a red sharpie and turned around. As he wrote PHYSICS in large letters on the board, he continued. "So… Physics." He turned around and dramatically popped the cap back on the marker. He began to pace in front of the board a bit. "Physics, eh? Ph-h-ysics. Phyyysics. Physics! Physics. Physics. Physicsphysicsphysicsphysics. I hope one of you is getting all this down."

A girl near the front of the class raised her hand timidly. Professor Smith stopped and nodded towards her. "You do realize you're just saying physics over and over again, don't you?"

"What's your name, miss?" he responded with a smile as he leaned against the front of his desk and crossed his feet. Rose shook her head again at the ridiculous shoes.

"Um, Lynda Moss. Lynda with a Y, sir."

"Lynda with a Y!" he grinned. "Are you sure I'm just saying physics over and over again? Maybe I'm just saying something so advanced and complicated that to you all it just sounds like physics."

Lynda didn't have a response.

Professor Smith chuckled. "Have a laugh! I'm just jesting. We will get started but first things first, I need to take roll. Also, as the lovely Miss Lynda with a Y just demonstrated, I would appreciate it if everyone who speaks starts the question or comment with their name. Just as a way for me and your fellow classmates to learn and remember. After a few weeks I should have it down."

He hopped around his desk and pulled out a folder.

"He's sort of jumpy, don't you think?" Martha whispered to Rose. Rose nodded. "But Jack was right. He is rather dashing."

Rose shrugged. She did think he was attractive, but the way he acted was reminding her too much of Chris. His rather sassy remark towards Lynda and wide grin. Not to mention they had the same last name. But Smith was a common name; she knew at least three unrelated people with the surname Smith.

Professor Smith was going through the list of names. After he called out the name, he would take the next couple of minutes to say hello and ask them a question or two. Some were predictable: what's your major, where are you from, what year are you. Some were more out there: what's your favorite color, favorite fruit, do you know how to dance. And if he knew the student, he'd ask how they were.

Such as he did when he got down to the H's and called out Jack Harkness.

"Captain Jack!" Professor Smith sang. "What a surprise to see you here! Still doing theater? Or have you found a sudden love for the sciences?"

Jack smiled brightly, relishing the attention and opportunity to speak. "Not so much luck. Still theater, just filling a requirement. Not that I'm complaining; it's an honor to have you as a teacher again." Rose couldn't restrain her laugh at Jack's sorry excuse. She noticed some of the girls who were sitting around them gawk at Jack, who was in fact very handsome. As Jack had explained to her when they had first met, he considered himself omnisexual; he was attracted equally to all human beings no matter what their gender. He'd even joked to her that he wouldn't even care if they were human or a different species.

Then Professor Smith got down to Martha.

"Martha Jones." She raised her hand. "Brilliant name! Tell me, Miss Jones, what are you in school for?"

Martha blushed slightly after his compliment. "Medical program. I'm studying to be a doctor."

"Doctor Jones!" he grinned proudly. "I've never had a student who was a doctor. Well, not in the medical sense, that is. What made you decide to become a physician?"

"When I was a kid, my brother pushed me off the swing and I broke my arm. The ambulance ride and getting my arm plastered fascinated me. That's when I decided to be a doctor."

"Excellent," Professor Smith complimented, making Martha smile and blush brighter than Rose had ever seen her. "I love the subject of biology. We'll have to talk about it together sometime."

Martha nodded, and Rose could tell he had roped her in with his charm.

He went on with a few other names. Rose didn't recognize any of them besides Lynda Moss, who'd already introduced herself earlier.

"Astrid Peth –"

The door to the classroom opened, cutting the professor off and forcing all eyes to turn towards the person walking through. And as the woman closed the door, the eyes stayed on her. The woman was blonde, with a sharp and mature face. Her dress was extravagant; something Rose definitely couldn't afford on her pay check. She was gorgeous.

And Rose knew exactly who she was.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," the girl said as she turn towards the professor and smiled innocently. Professor Smith's gaze didn't go unnoticed, at least not by Rose. Not that she was jealous or anything, most people reacted this way to meeting her. "I got a tad lost. It won't happen again, I promise."

Professor Smith nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes, well… see to it that it doesn't. I'm a tolerable man, but tardiness reflects a lack of respect. I'll let it go this time."

She smiled brightly, "Thank you so much Professor Smith. I won't let you down."

Rose rolled her eyes. Her promise sounded more sensual than it needed to.

"Good. What's your name? I want to make sure I haven't already called you."

"Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson," she said proudly. "But I prefer Reinette."

Rose scoffed softly, only loud enough for Martha and Jack to hear. Jack rose an eye brow at her.

"Ahh, you were next. Right after Miss Astrid Peth. Please, Miss Reinette, take a seat."

And she did, but not before scanning the room with a smug smile as she walked to a seat at the front. Her eyes lingered slightly on Jack, and then moved to Rose, though she quickly averted them.

"Who's that?" Jack whispered as Professor Smith gave his attention back to Astrid, the perky blonde to their right.

Rose leaned over slightly. "Reinette. She works with me, sort of. She's a graduate student for journalism – no idea why she's taking a lower level science class."

"Probably for the man candy," Martha whispered, nodding towards the front of the room at the professor.

The three chuckled softly.

Surprisingly, Professor Smith didn't spend much time on Reinette. He simply asked where she was from.

"France, actually. But I've been living in England so long I've sort of adopted a mixed accent," she replied, then began to speak a bit in French.

"Lovely," Professor Smith complimented. Then he looked back down at his list. A large grin spread across his face as he looked up towards the seats. "Rose Tyler!" he announced with an excited tone as he searched the students.

Rose held up her hand. "Here."

Professor Smith looked at her. It was almost like he was studying her; examining her features. Rose felt slightly uncomfortable under his glare, especially since he hadn't said anything.

Rose broke their eye contact and she felt her cheeks heat up slightly. She looked awkwardly around the classroom until she noticed Reinette, who had turned around in her seat and glared at her.

"Rose Tyler," Professor Smith repeated. Rose noticed he drew out her last name, turning the –er into an –ah. "Tell me, Rose, if you could meet any historical figure – who would it be and what would you say to them?"

Her mouth opened and her brow creased. What luck was this? Everyone got a simple question and here she was, having to scramble through her mind for a simple answer to a complicated question. "Um, geeze. That's a loaded question." Professor Smith smiled slyly and crossed his arms, almost as if he was challenging her. She rose an eye brow and smirked. "Alright – Queen Victoria. And I would try to get her to say that she is not amused."

Professor Smith threw his head back and laughed. "You really think you could?"

"I bet 5 quid I could make her say it," Rose said confidently.

He chuckled. "Even if I had the ability to travel in time and get you to meet her, gambling on historical events would be an abuse of power."

She rose an eye brow, "Ten quid?"

"Done," he grinned. "Fantastic!"

Rose's heart dropped along with her smile. The professor must have noticed her mood change because he dropped his gaze and turned his attention back to the last few people on his list.

Fantastic. That's what _he _always said. It was one of the last things he'd said to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Oh my goodness, the response and support for this story has been phenomenal! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy this one as well. I don't own anything.**

* * *

"I don't know what you're talking about. He gave me the same amount of attention as he gave everyone else," Rose huffed as she and Martha made their way to their dorm room.

Martha scoffed. "Please. Did you even notice the way he looked at you? And the way he called your name; it was like he knew you or something."

Rose exhaled deeply, "Why are we even still talking about this? Let's talk about the class we just had."

"Yeah, that professor was sort of… weird, don't you think?" Martha asked as she reached into her bag and pulled out the building key.

"_Professor Harold Saxon,_" Rose impersonated the pretentious way their teacher had introduced himself at the beginning of class. "I swear I didn't think someone could spend the entire hour and a half talking about themselves."

Harold Saxon was teaching their government class. Another requirement Martha and Rose chose to take together. He'd spent the entire first class talking about his love for politics and law. He spent about 30 minutes going on about his desire to run for Prime Minister in the future.

Rose and Martha had rolled their eyes halfway through his speech. They could tell already that this wasn't going to be a fun class.

As they made their way up the four flights of stairs, they opened the door to their floor, almost running into someone. The abrupt encounter had caused the person to drop a few papers from their hands.

"Donna!" Rose exclaimed as she and Martha bent down to pick up the papers. "We're so sorry."

Donna Noble laughed and retrieved her papers from the girls. "Pish-posh. No harm. I'm on my way out to rehearsal, but later today come visit me. I want to hear how your first day of classes went."

They said their goodbyes and Rose smiled fondly. Donna was Rose's Resident Assistant. In fact, she had been her RA for the last 3 years. Rose and her roommates loved the woman; but granted, it was hard not to love the red head. She was loud and boisterous and didn't take any crap. And when she cared about someone, she protected them with all her might. Donna was older than the rest of them, having just celebrated her 30th birthday. She told Rose that after she graduated school, she didn't really know what she wanted to do with her life. So she became a secretary. But she hated being a secretary and felt like she had just wasted 5 years of her life. So she went back to school, and now she was a computer specialist and a graduate student. But according to Donna, her real love was theater. Rose and her roommates loved watching her perform. Right now she was working on Much Ado About Nothing. She'd gotten the lead female: Beatrice. Rose couldn't wait to see her performance.

Rose and Martha opened the door to their dorm room to find one of their roommates making lunch.

"Oh my god, Clara. That smells incredible," Martha raved as she sat her books down and ran over to stand over Clara's shoulder.

Clara smiled, always touched by her roommate's appreciation of her cooking. Which she mostly did, as she enjoyed it the most. "Thank you, Martha. But they're just fish and chips. How were your classes this morning?"

"Boring," Rose answered as she took a seat at the table. She pulled out her phone to see if she had any missed calls. None. Not that many people called her, but she thought for sure her mother or boyfriend would contact her sometime during the day. "One teacher was a loon and the other was a narcissist. How was your class, Clara?"

She shrugged. "Boring as well. Just first day nonsense. Getting to know each other and going over the syllabus."

Clara Oswald was Rose's age and she was studying as an education major, though she currently worked as a part time nanny. The petite brunette served as sort of the "mother" of the dorm; she was responsible and could easily switch between playful and serious when she needed to. She and Martha were the two who kept the girls on task most of the time, something that Rose definitely appreciated at times – no matter how annoying it could be. Martha and Rose had met Clara their first year. She lived on the same floor as them, and they spent a lot of time together. So when Rose and Martha decided to get an apartment style dorm the following year, they asked Clara to move in with them.

Clara set the four plates on the table just as the fourth member of their group opened the door and walked through.

"Thank god I'm home. I'm starving! Ooo, fish fingers! Yum!" Amy announced as she threw her stuff to the ground and tackled her plate.

The red-headed was dressed in a police outfit, and Rose couldn't contain her laughter.

"Amy, what are you wearing?" Rose asked between laughs.

She looked down at her clothes and rolled her eyes. "It's my new job. I'm a kiss-o-gram."

"When did you decide to start that job?" Martha asked.

"Um… this morning. There was a booth!"

Clara chuckled. "So what do you do? Go around kissing people all day?"

Amy shrugged. "Basically."

"And what's the ridiculous outfit for?" Rose asked as she began to eat the delicious chips.

"It goes with the little rhyme I have to recite."

"What does Rory think about you going around kissing strangers all morning?" Martha asked.

Amy blushed. "He doesn't know yet. But it's a job! And I need the money."

Amy Pond and Rory Williams had been dating since high school, but were friends since they were little. Amy was from Scotland and moved when she was young, but never lost her accent. She was 20 years old, same age as Martha. And while the other three girls all had majors and goals they were striving towards, Amy was still undecided. She hated talking about her future because frankly, she had no idea what she wanted to do with it. The only thing she had a passion for was art, both creating and appreciating it.

Martha, Rose, and Clara met Amy through Rory, who worked in the hospital with Martha at the time. They had both been transporters and developed a common friendship. When they met Amy, they were going into their second year of college and needed someone to fill in their fourth roommate spot. Amy willingly agreed to move in, completing their small haven of friends. The four of them got along swimmingly. They took turns with the chores and cooking, and they were always considerate of each other's school and work schedules.

Rose felt like they were a tight knit family, especially when Donna and Rory were over. She made a mental note to invite Jack over this Sunday for one of their weekly family dinners. She giggled thinking about how Donna would adore Jack, especially after she finds out his love for theater.

The girls finished their meals and began to clean up. Rose and Amy on the dishes while Martha cleaned off the stove. Clara only had to wipe down the table since she was the one who did the cooking. And that's usually how breakfast, lunch, and dinner went about in the dorm.

And then they were off. Clara and Martha went off to work, Clara dropping Martha off at the hospital before she went to the Maitland's house to take care of Angie and Artie. Amy and Rose still had classes, and they began to walk together.

Rose enjoyed Amy's company because she was always energetic and fun; something Rose definitely needed at the time. She and Rose were usually the trouble makers in the group. Not that they looked for trouble, but somehow things always seemed to go a different way than they had planned. One time Amy was taking an art appreciation class and she had to do a project on Jackson Pollock. So she decided to create a painting that represented his drip and splatter abstract painting style. Rose had offered to help, and they got a large canvas and laid out enough towels and plastic covers to protect the entire living room. And yet, somehow, between their throwing paint on the canvas and laughter – they managed to turn the paint on each other. Clara and Martha returned home to find a multicolored Rose and Amy laying in a mess of paint, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

"So, how are things going with Mickey?" Amy asked as they made their way across campus.

Mickey Smith was Rose's on-and-off again boyfriend. He lived back home, and Rose didn't see much of him during the semesters. He worked in a garage at a local auto shop down the road from their apartments. He hadn't had any interest in going to college; and teased Rose relentlessly for it when she'd started classes. The two knew each other for as long as Rose could remember; their mothers were neighbors. Mickey had been Rose's best friend for as long as she could remember, and one day a teacher commented that they made a cute couple. After that, they started dating because frankly, everyone said that they should. They weren't perfect; but she loved him through everything. Even if their relationship was getting slightly mundane and predictable.

Rose shrugged. "The same. We've been together for so long, nothing really exciting ever happens."

"Have you guys been doing better since last semester?"

Amy was referring to their spat over Chris. Mickey had been jealous when all of Rose's stories consisted of adventures and talks between her and Chris. But after his death, Mickey had been surprisingly supportive during her grieving. He was still her friend, despite their romantic relationship. And if was in these moments that Rose was reminded of that and appreciated it.

But her time with Chris had changed her perspective of their relationship. She found excitement and passion in her time spent with Chris, something she hadn't experienced in a very long time. It made her question her relationship with Mickey.

"Better. I'm just not sure if things are the same anymore. Everything has sort of fallen into this simple routine. I love him, I do. And we've been on and off again so many times that it just feels like we should be together because it's what we're supposed to do. Do you have any of these problems with Rory? I know you guys have been together for a long time." she asked as Amy listened intently.

Amy thought, but shook her head. "We also grew up together; but I never thought of him as anything more than a friend. Then one day, my best friend Mels said that we should be together. To be honest, I laughed at the very idea. I thought Rory was gay because he'd never shown any interest in girls," she said with a chuckle. "To which he quickly corrected me. Then he told me that he was only interested in one girl. And in that moment – something in me clicked. It wasn't that we should be together because we were supposed to; it was that we should be together because, well, how could we not? We may get into little spats and I may call him stupid face, but I love him. And I may be a tad flirtatious and kiss people for money," Rose giggled, "but there's never been any question that he's the one I would choose time and time again. And even though he complains that I don't want to get married soon, I honestly believe that he would wait forever for me."

Rose smiled for her friend. She thought about how her words compared to her own relationship. And a part of her felt guilty, because the fact was that she just didn't feel that confidently about their relationship. She believed if she asked Mickey to wait for her, he would – but not forever. And honestly, she didn't want anyone to wait for her. Her relationship with Mickey had been fun and sweet whenever they first got together, but somewhere along the way it began to get dull and boring.

A somber smile crept across her lips as she and Amy got to the point where they would part.

They said their goodbyes, and Rose entered the all too familiar history building. She found the proper room number and sat in the front row out of habit.

She had to consciously remind herself to breathe. As the room began to fill up, Rose noticed a few familiar faces. But she simply gave them a friendly smile, as she was in no mood to start up a conversation.

_Is this even a good idea?_ Rose thought as she pondered on whether she should get up and leave. She still had a few days to opt out of taking the class. She could take a semester break from filling her history minor requirements. A semester to get her bearings and prepare herself a little better. And maybe get to the point where she wasn't expecting Chris to walk through the doors and start class.

In that moment, the doors opened.

Rose held her breath as she waited to see who it was that was walking through the door, but a couple of students standing in front of her blocked her view.

"Hello class!" Wait, she recognized that voice. "My name is John Smith, and welcome to Greek and Roman History!"

Rose felt like laughing, whether out of joy, exhaustion, or irony, she didn't know. Sure, she liked Professor Smith when he had introduced himself in her prior class. But now he was on sensitive turf.

"Before I begin, I'd like to announce that I have taken over this class for Professor Chris Smith, as well as a few of his other classes. To all of you who knew him, I extend my condolences. I admired Chris greatly and will do my best to fill in his shoes," he smiled solemnly. Rose felt her heart swell slightly as she bit her lip to restrain her tears. He cleared his throat and pulled out his glasses. "This class will mainly go over the history of Rome and Greece, and a majority of that goes along with Roman and Greek mythology. The first project will be due as your midterm, so start thinking about it now. Everyone will have to complete a paper about a major Roman or Greek icon, either human or god, and do a presentation."

Rose tried to distract herself by thinking about some of her favorite icons. Zeus was too obvious, as well as some of the more well known gods and goddesses. Maybe the Odyssey or the Golden Apple. Hercules or Jason and the Argonauts.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts she missed most of the names called during role. She only started paying attention when her own name was called and she jumped in surprise to attention.

"Rose Tyler," he called, again, with a large smile. This time he didn't have to wait for her to raise her hand, he knew exactly where to find her. "Good to see you again."

Rose smiled, but again she felt a bit uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. _What is his deal? _she thought. It wasn't like they had met before today – had they? She would have remembered him; that she definitely knew.

Professor Smith finished calling the rest of the names and went over the syllabus slightly. With a good 15 minutes still left of class, he decided to let everyone out early.

"Rose," he called over to her as she got up to leave. "Can you hang back for a little while?"

She nodded, and that small grade school part of her panicked. Not that she thought she was in trouble or anything, but it was instinct to worry whenever your teacher asks for you to stay after class.

As the students began to exit the room, Rose made her way towards the front.

He smiled fondly as he sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms. "Rose Tyler," he repeated happily.

"Excuse me," she began, creasing her brow. "Have we met? Because the way you've been acting sort of indicates that we've met before but I can't seem to recall."

"Oh no, no," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We haven't met. Well, we have – but that was earlier in class. Before that, no. No, we haven't met."

Rose felt exhausted listening to him talk frantically.

"I've just heard a lot about you. Good things. You're a journalism major, right? History minor?" Rose nodded. "You're quite popular amongst the history professors here. It's an honor to finally have you in one of my classes. I understand that Chris was somewhat of a mentor to you, and I can see how difficult this class might be for you. So I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anyone to talk to or assistance in anything, I'll be here. I'm also the Head of the History Department; so if you need any help with your classes or academia, I just wanted to establish a bit of an open communication."

Rose smiled, but Professor Smith noticed it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm flatter, professor. I am. But I'm good. I appreciate your kind words and your offer, but I don't need any of your help. Thank you."

She left the classroom a bit brash. She was rude; she'd never been that rude to a professor before. Especially when the professor was just being helpful.

But she felt like he was trying to take over Chris's place as her mentor; and she just could allow that. After getting so close to a teacher once and having them ripped away, she wasn't sure she could go through that again. So she'd keep him at a distance. Strictly academic. It wouldn't matter how nice he was or how charming – and it definitely wouldn't matter how cute he was, or how many adorable freckles he had. She'd keep her distance.

Rose opened the door to the building – and it was raining hard. She groaned, having forgotten her umbrella in her room. And since the class had been released early, there weren't any busses that'd be coming to this building yet. She sighed, ready to take a step out –

When suddenly she feels someone grab her hand. She looked to her side and saw Professor Smith; he gripped her hand tightly and yelled "Run!"

So she let him pull her out into the storm, running towards the parking lot. He directed her to a bright blue car, holding the passenger open for her. Rose was a bit hesitant, having learned not to get into cars with mad men she'd just met.

Professor Smith rolled his eyes and yelled for her to get in so he could give her a ride before she caught a cold. So she jumped in the car while he ran to the other side and got in himself.

They sat there for a few seconds, catching their breath. Rose was soaked. Her jeans, her pink jacket, and her white tank underneath. She ran her hands through her drenched, chest length, blonde hair to no avail.

She looked over at Professor Smith, who began taking off his trench coat. Underneath, his suit was only slightly damp. He threw his coat on the floor of his back seat and muttered something about getting it dry cleaned. He ran in hand through his hair, and Rose giggled.

Professor Smith looked over at her curiously, but smiled.

She pointed to his hair, "You know, you should wear your hair like that all the time."

John looked in his review mirror at his hair. "With it all sticking up and crazy looking? That's not very professional."

"Well, I think it looks good," she complimented. "Much better than how it looked earlier."

"Oi! I worked hard on that hair style!"

Rose chuckled, "No offense, but you looked a bit emo with it pushed downward and all. Put that hair gel to good use and style it like that. It works on you."

Rose noticed John blush a bit. Rose shivered, and John turned up the heat slightly. Then he began driving. Rose directed him to her dorm as she began to unzip her jacket. The cold, wet fabric was sticking to her and she just needed to get rid of it.

She noticed John look over at her, then do a double take when he noticed she'd taken off her jacket.

_Did he just check me out?_ she thought. _No, there's no way he just checked me out. He's my teacher._

John cleared his throat before asking for more directions. It was either her imagination, or he was physically trying not to look at her.

Rose felt her cheeks flush just considering the possibility.

Finally, he pulled to the front of her dorm building. Rose quickly pulled on her still soaked jacket and grabbed her bag.

"Thank you, Professor Smith" she said to John before she reached for the door, ready to make a break for it through the rain. "I appreciate the ride."

John smiled and nodded; and for the first time since Rose had met the man, he seemed to be at a loss for words.

* * *

**"DarkKnightsPrincess: Oooooooh, this is looking very promising! I'm liking the friendship between Rose and Martha and Jack. I feel like they will be the three musketeers. :) Not liking Reinette. Never have liked her ever, but we'll see how things with her go. :) And it seems good ol' Mr. Smith may've pulled the regenerate card, cause he seems to know Rose really well already. :) I'm looking forward to seeing more soon! Keep up the good work! :)" Thank you! :) I hope you'll also like the friendship between Rose and the rest of the companions! I'm also not a huge fan of Reinette, though her character here is a little different than the one from the episode. She's just a good character to make as a rival for Rose, especially since I didn't want any of the other companions to be put in that position. And unfortunately Nine and Ten are separate people, but there's definitely a reason why John knows so much about Rose that will be extended on later. But I'm glad you enjoy it so far! :) **

**"DreamingxAloud: I LOVE this! I was grinning like an idiot at all the references you put in! Brilliant, please continue :)" I love including references to the original stories in my own stories! I feel so sneaky when I do it lol but I feel like it makes a smoother connection. And thank you! :) **

**"ImagineDaydreams: I can already say with all honesty that I love this story! I mean, the plot is original, you manage to put in so many references in just the first chapter, and Ten and Rose are my OTP sooo...ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Aha, keep up the great work! Update soon! :)" Ahh I'm so honored! There will definitely continue to be more references in the following chapters. Rose and Ten are definitely one of my top two OTPs! So I will try to do them justice! :) **

**"rotanrm: Love this! New fav fic! Haha I really like the new teeth reference! Can't wait for the next chapter! Ship rose x Martha x jack friendship!" Haha I just ****_had _****to include Ten's first words to Rose! Lol. And I'm so honored! I hope you'll enjoy all of the companion's friendships, but yes, I had tons of fun writing Rose, Martha, and Jack together! **

**"Dede42: Darn it! You got me hook! Update soon! Geronimo!" Haha I'm so happy to see you here! We seem to have the same interest in so many TV shows and characters! Lol. I hope you like this story! I'm working on the others as we speak. **

**"Dreamcatcher49: lovely start even with the appearance of Reinette; very much worth the read and look forward to update." Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this chapter too! :) **

**"BadWolfIsComing: i am really liking the story so far! keep going :)" Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time and telling me. I hope you enjoy the rest :) **

**"whoa (Guest): i really hope this isnt a one-shot bc honey this fanfic is perfect" Definitely not a one-shot, there will definitely be more! I already have the story mapped out, it'll be quite a few chapters long! And thank you! :) I'm so glad you are enjoying it! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: RIP Eleventh Doctor, and farewell dear Matt Smith! I hope you all had happy holidays! I own nothing. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Rose walked out of the bathroom in her comfy robe as she rang out her hair with a towel.

"Feel better?" Amy asked from the table while Rose grabbed an apple from the kitchen.

Rory chuckled, "Don't forget your umbrella next time."

Rose rolled her eyes and sat at the table across from Amy and Rory, who were working on some school work. "Thanks for the sterling advice."

Something soft brushed by Rose's bare leg. "Biggles!" she exclaimed as she picked up the furry cat. "Have you come to visit us this evening you beautiful boy?"

"I convinced Rory to bring him with him," Amy explained.

Biggles was the kitten that Rory bought for Amy about a year ago as an anniversary present. But due to them living a dorm, the cat had to technically live at Rory's. Every week or so Rory or Amy would bring over Biggles and she would stay with them for a little while. They worried about Donna finding out and forbidding them to let him come back; but as soon as Donna held the adorable orange tabby who immediately began to purr in her arms, Donna was hooked. She would begin asking about him whenever Biggles was at Rory's, buying him cute toys and treats, and being called over whenever the cat was there.

Rose pet Biggles' ears while he closed his eyes and purred. Rose loved cats, so when Amy asked if he could stay with them sometimes, Rose was the first to say yes. And Biggles was the sweetest: he came when he was called, he was housebroken, and he was the biggest cuddler.

But Rose's mind was wandering. She began to think about Professor Smith – John. No, Professor Smith. _Keep it academic, _Rose reminded herself.

She wondered whether she should tell Martha about Professor Smith giving her a ride home; but she decided not to. Martha already thought that he had 'looked' at her differently than the rest of the class earlier today. She didn't need any more crap about being treated special or anything. So she decided to stay quite.

Rose looked at the time, "Damn, I'm going to be late!"

She raced up, Biggles jumping down frantically from her lap.

In 10 minutes she had her hair dry, her make up applied, and her clothes on as she ran out the door.

Rose drove, parked, and hurried up the flights of stairs to her office. She dropped her stuff off and grabbed a quick cup of tea.

She walked it down the hallway and opened the door at the end.

"Hello, Ms. Sarah Jane," Rose greeted as she smiled brightly at her boss. She sat the glass on her desk and took a seat in the chair opposite of her.

"Good evening Rose," she smiled in return as she took a sip of her tea. "Thank you, I needed a refill."

Sarah Jane Smith was the editor at the newspaper Rose interned for. Chris had helped her get this job, as the two had been old friends. After Chris's death, Sarah Jane had been the only person that seemed to know exactly what to say to help Rose through it. They cried together, laughed at old stories, and Sarah Jane taught Rose how to be strong.

Rose had been interning there for about a year. First she was doing simple gopher chores like getting everyone's coffee or tea, making copies, answering phones, running errands, and typing up memos. But slowly, she became recognized. Sarah Jane had asked for her to fill in for a writer and reporter who had gone into labor sooner than scheduled, and Rose had proved capable. Rose was getting the chance to write more and a few months ago was asked to accompany a reporter on a story.

"So how was your first day of classes?" Sarah Jane asked.

Rose shrugged. "Just the usual first day kind of day. I only had three classes today: physics, government, and history."

Sarah Jane's head tilted sympathetically, "And how was history?"

"It was… alright. New professor."

"And how do you like the new guy?"

"He's…" Rose paused, trying to figure out the right words, "different. Sort of. I mean, well. He's nice."

Sarah Jane rose an eye brow.

"He talked to me after class. Said that he'd heard about me and how Chris was sort of my mentor. He offered to help if I needed it or if I needed to talk."

"Well," Sarah Jane began, "That was very considerate of him. But you don't sound very happy about it?"

Rose sighed, "I know; and I should because it was very nice of him. I just feel like he's sort of trying to replace him or something. I don't know."

Sarah Jane smiled. She reached out for Rose's hand and squeezed it. "You're scared, aren't you?" Rose looked up and bit her lip. She nodded slightly. "I understand. But you know, it's not his fault. And no one can replace Chris if you don't want them to. But you can't take it out on him; he's just trying to help."

Rose scoffed slightly, "He's trying to be the hero –" but she took a deep breath and closed her mouth before she could continue. She looked up at Sarah Jane, who was giving her that look that always told Rose she was getting too hot headed. "You're right, of course." She cleared her throat and stood up. "Still want me looking over those pieces for next week?"

Sarah Jane smiled and handed Rose a pile of papers. "Yes, please. I need your keen eye."

Rose nodded and smiled, then turned to open the door.

"Oh, and Rose," she turned around in the doorway, "I'm considering making you a full time writer for the paper. Bit of a step up from an intern. Maybe even give you a few investigative stories of your own. What do you think?"

Rose's heart beat skyrocketed as the grin on her face stretched to great lengths. "Oh, Ms. Sarah Jane!" she couldn't contain the few excited laughs that left her lungs. "I would be honored!"

She smiled, "That's what I was hoping to hear. Be prepared for it within the next couple of months. I'll keep you updated. Now go," she winked before Rose left the room.

Rose couldn't contain her smile. An investigative story – a reporter – an actual journalist! This is what she had been waiting for. This was what all the teas and coffees and errands and tedious tasks were for. She was going to be a journalist. She was going to witness history happen in the present – and record it. Just a few months. She couldn't wait!

With the papers in hand, Rose practically skipped over to the desk she'd been appointed and sat down to start. She proved to be a good set of eyes for grammar and sentence structure, catching as many errors as she could before the draft was sent to the final editor.

As she was reading, a stack of papers were dropped on her desk, causing Rose's pen to be pushed down and draw a huge line across the paper.

"Ugh. Excuse me," Rose scolded.

"I need 100 copies," she heard above her. Rose looked up and saw the same face she'd seen earlier that day. "Right away, temp."

Rose gave her a questionable look, "Reinette. If you couldn't tell, I'm in the middle of something."

Reinette folded her arms and rose an eye brow, "And if you couldn't tell, you're the temp. And I'm the employee. One hundred copies."

Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed the stack. She usually wouldn't put up with such a stunt – but Reinette was one of the top writers on the paper. And Rose understood the politics of the job. And the first rule was, don't piss off the people above you. And unfortunately, Reinette was above her.

As Rose began working on the copies, Reinette jumped up on the table and sat next to the machine.

"Your name's Rose Tyler, right?" she asked, watching her as she worked.

_Why yes, I'm Rose Tyler. And you're Reinette, the pompous French queen who can't even make her own copies. How stupid do you have to be? _Rose thought, but held her tongue. "Yep. I suppose that's the first time you've called me by my name."

"Right, sorry about that." She didn't sound sorry. "Just, you know. You're the temp. You even look like a temp." Rose looked between her and Reinette. She had on a different dress from the one in class earlier, but still just as extravagant. And Rose only had on black pants and a blouse. "You were in my physics class today, weren't you?"

Rose nodded, almost rolling her eyes at how fake her surprise sounded.

"Strange, isn't it? Taking a physics class for a journalism degree?" Reinette began examining her nails as if she were bored. "Of course, I already filled that requirement for my own degree years ago."

"Then why are you taking it now?" Rose asked, keeping most of her attention on the copies.

Reinette bit her lip, "For the professor, of course. John Smith is a legend on the campus."

"That's what my friend said," Rose commented. "I had never heard of him."

"Hmm, that figures. You've only been on campus a few years. You wouldn't really know all the little quirks about it." Reinette chuckled slightly, "well, I definitely wasn't disappointed. He is quite handsome."

Rose felt her blood boil slightly. Reinette was just talking about their professor, and yet Rose felt a need to shield his very image from the woman next to her.

"I mean, he's supposed to be some kind of genius. But who cares about that, right? He's delicious – I wonder if he's married?"

"He's not," Rose answered abruptly. Reinette narrowed her eyes and Rose felt the need to further explain how she knew so. "Well, he doesn't wear a band on his ring finger, that is."

Reinette was still watching Rose closely, "And you caught that from your seat way in the back?"

Rose shrugged, "Well, no. But I have another class with him, and I sat closer up. And I noticed."

"Hmm," Reinette hummed, considering what Rose was saying. "So you have two classes with him, and yet you'd never heard of him beforehand? Interesting." She took a deep breathe, "He's just so charming. You hear all the time about student/teacher relationships – I'm wonder if Mr. Smith has ever had any experience with that. He is handsome; I definitely wouldn't doubt it. Girls probably throw themselves at him all the time."

Rose felt the urge to run to his rescue against her slanders. She felt like telling her how ridiculous she was because John – _Professor Smith – _would never do something morally wrong. He would never do something bad. He was a good person; kind and funny and considerate.

But the truth was, Rose didn't know.

She'd known the guy for less than 24 hours and yet she felt the sudden urge to protect him, save him from danger – especially Reinette. He'd been nice to her in class, he'd offered her assistance if she ever needed it. He'd given her a ride home. He'd made her laugh; she'd made him laugh. And, although it was possible it was all in her head, _she _felt like there was a moment bit of a connection between the two of them. Something: understanding, appreciation, _lust_.

Rose felt herself blush when she realized she hadn't been listening to anything Reinette had been saying.

"It's just that I feel so silly walking into the class. Everyone in there is so _young_," she looked up at Rose who had risen her brow. "Compared to me, that is. Heavens, I'm probably only a few years younger than Mr. Smith. I hope he knows I'm not as young as you lot. Maybe I should hang out after class one day and let him know that I'm actually going on with my life. You know, on my way to becoming a successful journalist. Out on my own, a mature woman. Maybe that's the kind of woman he needs," she gave Rose a wink.

Rose bit her tongue and got to the last paper, finishing up her stack, relieved. "Here you are. So glad you didn't have to waste all your time copying so many papers," she said through her teeth as she faked a grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the assignment Sarah Jane gave me. And by the way, I'm not a temp. I'm an intern. And soon I'll be a full employee."

Reinette stayed seated on the table with the stack of papers in her lap, watching as Rose walked back to her desk.

She seethed with jealousy. _Rose Tyler_. Yes, she knew who the girl was. She was the 'golden child' in the newsroom. Sarah Jane raved about her and her potential. The temp twit. Who was she to talk to her in such a disrespectful way? Reinette was going places, she just knew it.

Right now she was just a writer at a newspaper, but that wasn't what she aspired to do.

Being a news anchor was her goal – being on television in front of hundreds. Reinette was pretty, very pretty. And she felt her face needed to be on the screen. The only reason why she started working for Sarah Jane was because she was the most respected journalist in the country, whether it was the paper or television. Her recommendation would surely get you anywhere.

And through Sarah Jane, Reinette had met Louis – Sarah Jane's husband. He was the most popular anchorman on the news.

Reinette was just biding her time now. She'd already brought up to Sarah Jane dozens of times of her goals, and each time she was sort of glazed over. She just needed to find the right opportunity – but nothing would move forward if that bottled blonde stood in her way.

She thought about what she'd said about Mr. Smith and the way she had reacted when Reinette talked about him. It was like she was getting defensive; which puzzled Reinette since Rose had mentioned never have having heard of him.

But Reinette smiled mischievously. John Smith was her greatest mission of the semester. From the moment she'd seen the man, she knew she wanted to seduce him. Getting into his class was part of her plan. Sure, she was paying for a class she didn't need – but her parents were still paying for her school and they were extremely well off. So really, it wasn't even a big deal.

But the way he had said Rose's name in class caused her suspicion. He looked like he definitely knew her from somewhere, though she claims to have never have met him prior to class. She wondered if Rose was going to be a problem. Maybe she'd have to start seducing earlier than she'd planned.

* * *

**"Dede42: Two updates in one day? Yes! Geronimo!" Yep! And tonight there will be two as well! **

**"ImagineDaydreams: I'm sure that you will do them justice! Again, I absolutely loved this chapter! The ending was so cute and I loved how he grabbed her hand and said, "Run." That made me smile like an , but keep up the fantastic work! :) And just in case you don't update within the next two days, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Thank you! I hope you like this chapter and the next! The next chapter has a few more throw backs to Nine and Rose like that one. And Merry Christmas to you as well! Even though I'm sort of a day late. Well, Happy Boxing Day! Lol. :) **

**"Ruth: Great storey love the modern twist you really pulled it off. Is 11 going to be in the storey" Thank you! And yes, he most certainly will! But it'll be at least 4 or 5 chapters from now until he shows up, just a couple before he's mentioned. He'll be his own separate character, and I hope you all enjoy the little spin I play on how he's involved in the story. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Two chapters in one night! This chapter gets a little steamy. But I hope you enjoy! I own nothing, unfortunately.**

* * *

The week went by quickly for Rose as she began adjusting to her new routine. It was pretty simple and structured.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday would start with Jack coming over in the morning and eating breakfast with the girls. He, Rose, and Martha would walk to physics together while Clara headed to her class and Amy went to work. After physics, Martha and Rose would go to their second class, government, then the roommates all met up again for lunch at the apartment. Martha and Rory then went to work at the hospital while Clara went to her nanny job. Amy and Rose would walk together to class, Rose's history class and Amy's art class. Sometimes they had dinner together, depending on who was still at work or busy.

Every Tuesday and Thursday started with all the girls eating breakfast along with Rory. They all had sporadic classes throughout the day. Rose had two classes: a writing class and an anthropology class she took with Amy, all before lunch.

Rose's work schedule times usually varied every week, but Sarah Jane tried to keep her scheduled on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays so it wouldn't mess with her classes.

Rose was doing well in all of her classes so far – except physics. She just wasn't getting it. Something in her brain was refusing to click and it was driving her crazy.

Martha and Jack had tried to help her, but Rose knew she wasn't good at being tutored. Not to mention, both were pretty shotty teachers as well. Jack couldn't concentrate on one thing at a time and Martha's temper wasn't compatible with Rose's.

To save their friendship, Rose decided to quit asking them for help.

Not to mention, Martha was stressed lately. Her younger sister was starting out as a party coordinator, and her first big party set up was for the president of the college. Martha was getting phone calls every day asking for advice. But the biggest problem was the rest of Martha's family. They were invited, as well as Rose and the rest of the roommates if they wanted to go, but her family was a mess. Her mother didn't want to go if her father was going to come with his new girlfriend. But her father wasn't going to go if his girlfriend wasn't going. And her brother was considering going, but not if there was going to be a huge issue. And every day Martha's sister was phoning Martha crying, complaining, or yelling about the entire situation.

Rose got to hear all the second hand drama through Martha, who complained about it all. Rose felt sorry for her, but even more so for her sister. Luckily Martha had convinced her sister to just focus on the party and she would handle the family issues.

It was the second Tuesday of the semester, and Rose was already exhausted. It was about 8pm and she was walking towards her dorm after a long day of school and then work.

As she approached the building, she noticed a tall man standing halfway in the shadow by the front door.

Rose was a very friendly person, and usually wasn't afraid to talk to strangers. In high school it had given her the reputation of being a flirt. But now that she'd been to college and lived on campus, she'd been pumped with horror stories of girls getting abducted and taken advantage of, Rose was more on guard during certain times of day or in certain places. And a man suspiciously standing outside a dorm building at night made Rose slightly nervous.

As Rose approached, she could see his face better in the shadows. Soon she recognized it, and her suspicion shifts.

"Professor Smith?" she asked when she finally got closer to him.

He jumped slightly and looked over at her, "Rose Tyler. Hello!"

She rose an eye brow and awkwardly looked around, "Did you come here to see me?"

"Oh, no! No, no." He quickly shook his head. Rose became slightly embarrassed and she was grateful for the dim light to cover her blush. "I'm here to see an old friend who lives in the same building. I'm just waiting for her to come down and let me in. I came a bit too early, she'd just gotten out of the shower so I've been waiting out here for quite a bit."

Rose felt the same gut wrenching feeling she'd felt last week when Reinette had been talking about him. _I'm not jealous_, Rose said to herself, _he's allowed to have women friends that he can spend time with. It's not like he owes me anything. He's my teacher. _

Rose felt herself repeating that mantra of 'he's my teacher' to herself over and over throughout the week.

"Well, I have my key," she said as she held it up. "I can let you in and you can at least wait for her inside. It's quite cold out here."

Professor Smith smiled and thanked her.

The both began to walk up the stairs together in silence. Rose noticed that his hair was sticking up – actually she noticed that last Wednesday that he was starting to wear his hair in a way she'd suggested. The first time she saw it, it made her smile and laugh to herself.

He noticed her looking at him, and looked down at her. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck as they made it to the first floor. "So… how are your classes going?"

Rose shrugged. Honestly, she was sick of this question but knew it wouldn't subside for a few more weeks. "I like most of my classes. Probably history the most." She saw him smile from the corner of her eye. "But I am having some trouble in physics."

Professor Smith's smile dropped. "Yeah, I happened to notice. But you know, it's still just a week into the semester. If you work on it now, you should be able to get a handle on things for the rest of the class."

"But that's the problem," Rose explained as they passed the second floor. "I've tried to get a handle on it, even tried to get Martha and Jack to help me – but I'm just such a terrible person to tutor. It's just not clicking."

Professor Smith stopped and turned towards Rose. "Why don't I help you? We could meet sometime during my office hours and work on it."

"I have class during your office hours," Rose replied.

"Well, we can work something out sometime when we're both free." Rose hesitated, and Professor Smith could sense it. "Rose, I don't want you to fall behind. Once you do it'll be hard to keep up. And I want you to succeed in this class, I do. Let me help you – that's what the teacher's for."

Rose bit her lip as she considered. Reluctantly, she held out her hand and they shook.

"Excellent! I usually have a decent window open after history. How does tomorrow sound?" he asked with a smile.

"I've got work tomorrow after class. But I'll be free Friday after class. Is that good?"

"Brilliant!"

They started up the stairway again and Rose felt a little more comfortable with the man to her right. Sarah Jane was right, he wasn't replacing Chris; he was just trying to help.

As soon as they passed the third floor, they ran into Donna who was quickly descending down the stairs.

"Donna!" Rose and Professor Smith greeted together.

"Rose! John!" she greeted back with a smile, then began looking between the two. "Hold on, you two know each other?"

Rose turned to John, "Donna is your old friend?"

"How do you know Donna?" John asked Rose.

Donna threw her hands in the air, "Hello!" The both turned their attention to her. "Is anyone going to explain things?"

"Professor Smith is my teacher for physics and history," Rose explained. "Now how do you two know each other?"

"Donna and I met a few years ago when we were working on a play together. We've done a few plays since. She's one of my best friends," John explained. "How do you know Donna?"

"She's been my RA for the last two year."

Donna smiled as she looked between the two. "Well come on then! Let's not doddle in the middle of the stairway. Come celebrate with us, Rose!"

She turned around and began moving up the stairs. Rose and John exchanged looks before following her.

"What are we celebrating?" Rose asked.

"Just, uh, a bit of an accomplishment."

"Oh, John, don't be coy," Donna yelled from in front of them. She reached the fourth floor and opened the door. "It's not every day a professor gets a promotion. Isn't that right Mr. Head of the Journalism Department?"

The pair followed Donna into her room.

Rose looked over to John, who was trying to hide his embarrassment. "Wait, I thought you said you were the head of the history department?"

"I am," John explained. "But I was working right under Chris in the journalism department. They felt I was the most appropriate to fill his position."

Donna opened a bottle of wine and filled three glasses, carrying them over to the living room and setting them on the coffee table. She then grabbed a plate of chips and other snacks.

"Sit, sit! Time to celebrate," Donna instructed as she took a seat in the chair, leaving Rose and John to sit on the couch together.

"I didn't realize you were so diverse," Rose said to John as they both sat next to each other. "Congratulations."

They all held their glasses together and made a toast. John blushed slightly.

A couple glasses in, Rose was beginning to loosen up. She sat and listened as John and Donna reminisced about some of the plays they'd been in. Apparently John would wait until the last minute to learn his lines, but as soon as he got caught up in the stage and atmosphere, he was spot on. Rose learned that John was playing the role opposite of Donna in Much Ado About Nothing. Rose admitted that she hadn't read the play, to which John insisted that they show it to her sometime in the near future, as it was one of his favorite Shakespeare plays.

"Yeah, Jack was telling me about the class you taught that he was in last year. How many degrees _do _you have?" Rose asked with a giggle, while Donna opened the third bottle.

John made a dramatic face, as if he were thinking hard, which made Rose laugh harder. "Well, I have one in history, journalism, physics, biology, and English. I think that's it."

Rose almost chocked on her drink, "FIVE degrees? So many doctorates, I should just call you the Doctor. That would cover everything."

John smiled, "The Doctor. I like it!"

Donna's mobile began ringing. "Blimey. It's my supervisor. One moment." She talked for a little bit, then hung up. "I have to step out for a little while to deal with a couple of rowdy residents." Rose and John stood up to leave – "No, no! You two stay. This shouldn't take that long; at the most thirty minutes. Hopefully I can hide my buzz."

She walked out the door before Rose and John were able to sit back down.

"More?" John asked as he offered to refill her glass.

Rose nodded. "So you're excited about this play, huh?"

"Oh yeah!" John exclaimed as he refilled his own cup. "It's a comedy; sort of the template that a lot of current romantic comedies are set to nowadays. My character and Donna's character have never met, but they can't stand each other. They're always going back and forth, making fun of each other and jesting. And the play starts with them finally meeting, but they continue to tease each other relentlessly. So their friends decide to trick them; they tell him that she's in love with him, and they tell her that he's in love with her. And eventually they realize that they both really do like each other, but they still refuse to admit it. There's a lot of other stuff going on in between, like two people are supposed to get married but the villain tricks the man into thinking that the woman cheated on him and all that. This play is sort of contemporary, with the clothing and events happening. Like there's a scene in the middle and end where we have to dance."

Rose giggled, "Do you know how to dance?"

"Oi! I'll have you know that I do know how to dance. I've been in theater long enough to have had to dance for other plays and such," he said defensively with a proud smile.

Rose smiled wide, biting on her tongue playfully. "Prove it." She jumped up and skipped to Donna's stereo system. She turned on the CD player and dancing music began to play. "I guess Donna was practicing her dancing as well. Hope up, come on! Show me what you've got!"

John ran his hand through his hair and rose from the couch. He wrapped his hand around her waist and held on to her hand. Rose felt her body heat up under the areas his hands touched. Luckily her cheeks were already flushed from the wine, otherwise she would have been blushing brightly. John was tall, but Rose managed to reach her hand to his shoulder without feeling strained.

He led them hesitantly. "A bit rusty?" Rose teased. John made a face at her and continued to try and move, unsuccessfully. He stepped on her toes a few times. "You'll find your feet at the end of your legs."

John huffed, stopping their dancing and letting go of Rose. She dropped her arms and felt bad about teasing him, as he seemed to really be upset.

Then the music changed to something with a salsa beat to it. John looked up at Rose and smiled brightly. "Rose, I just remembered. I can dance!"

He swept her into his arms as he spun her around and moved against her. Rose was grinning like a fool as John moved her across the room, pulling her body close to his as they continued to stare at each other. Every time John spun Rose around she squealed and giggled. When the song drew to an end, John spun her one last time and dipped her low.

He rose her up slowly, still holding her close to him as the music changed to something slow. Rose let go of his hand and moved it around his neck to meet her other hand behind him as he moved his hand down her side to her waist. They began to sway with the music, still looking into each other's eyes. They were watching each other, Rose realized. He was watching her reaction to him, and she was watching his reaction to her. She noticed both of their breaths were heavy, but she wasn't sure if it was from their closeness or from their prior dancing.

John breathed deeply, closing his eyes as his grip around her waist tightened. She realized that her fingers had been playing with the back of his hair, running through it slightly and running her nails against his skin.

"Rose Tyler," he sighed as he opened his eyes to look down at her. She noticed him glance down at her lips, and she subconsciously bit her bottom lip.

She looked between his eyes and his lips, and as if completely out of her control, she pulled his neck downward until his lips crashed onto her own.

The rest of her body fused with his as she rose up on her toes slightly so she could move her hands up to run them through the rest of his hair. She felt his arms wrap around her as he pulled her into him as close as he could. Her lips tugged against his, and his against hers as they fought for dominance over the kiss. Rose felt herself whimper uncontrollably when she felt his tongue move across her bottom lip, asking permission to enter. In response, John groaned as Rose opened her mouth and met his tongue with her own. Their hands didn't stop moving the entire time, as she played with his hair and he moved his hands across the back of her body.

She felt him push her against the wall that stood behind her – and then it was over.

He reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers, resting his forehead against hers as they both fought to regain their breathing. Rose could still feel his lips so close to hers, and she watched him fight to restrain his mouth from moving back to hers.

He looked into her eyes and moved his hands to her face, one hand stroking her cheek and the other running through her hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered as the look in his eyes changed from lust to devastation. "I'm so sorry."

"Wha –" Rose began, but John pulled away from her quickly. He grabbed his coat and stormed out the door, sighing loudly as he muttered to himself. "Doctor," she whispered softly as he began walking through the door. He paused slightly, as if he'd heard her. But he continued his way out.

Rose leaned against the wall until the door completely shut behind John before she felt herself start breathing again.

_What – what just happened?! _Rose thought to herself. She brought her fingers to her lips. They felt sensitive. She ran to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were glossy, cheeks were flushed deep red, and her lips were swollen. Proof that what had just happened did indeed happen.

But what about after? He apologized. That meant he was sorry he'd kissed her – or technically kissed her back. But he had kissed her back. And so passionately.

Was she sorry she kissed him? She felt her lips smirk slightly as she thought about their kiss. _He's your teacher_, the mantra interrupted her thoughts. Her face dropped and suddenly it hit her.

She kissed her professor.

What was wrong with her? Of course she was sorry she had kissed him. He was her _teacher_. She could get in so much trouble – he could get fired. A wave of guilt overwhelmed her as she thought about the consequences it could spell for John – no, Professor Smith.

The door to the apartment began to open and for a split second, Rose thought it was John returning.

"Where'd John go? Did you scare him off?" she heard being yelled from the living room.

Donna. Rose looked at herself in the mirror and splashed some water on her face, trying to cover up some of her flush and swollenness.

Rose entered the living room, trying not to make eye contact with Donna. "He had to leave suddenly. Something about reading or grading papers… or something."

Donna tried to look closely at Rose, but she refused to sit still as she cleared off the table and rinsed the glasses in the sink.

"Are you sure everything's ok?" Donna asked suspiciously.

Rose smiled at the woman, "Yes, Donna. Everything's just fine. I should get going too, though. Thank you." She walked over and gave the red head a hug.

Donna hugged her back firmly. "Alright. Let me know if you need anything or want to talk. Goodnight, Rose. Tell the others I send my love."

Rose nodded as she grabbed her things and left.

She barely slept that night, as she tossed in bed thinking about the kiss. She felt guilty, but halfway through the night she realized most of her guilt stemmed from the fact that she simply enjoyed the kiss. It was hot and passionate and it had taken Rose's breathe away.

In fact, everything up to that moment had impressed Rose. She liked John, and she was beginning to appreciate him as her professor. She didn't want things to get weird or awkward between them. She scolded herself; she'd promised that she wouldn't get close to another teacher and here she was, falling even harder for this guy than she had her prior one.

That's when she decided to just ignore everything; pretend it didn't happen. Rose was good at denial – surely she could act like there weren't any feelings there.

Rose finally fell asleep, thinking about John – Professor Smith – the Doctor.

_The Doctor_, was Rose's final thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: This chapter talks a little about Roman mythology. The goddess and idea for the goddess came from the Ten/Rose book ****_The Stone Rose_****, by Jacqueline Rayner. Seriously, if you're a Ten/Rose fan, you should totally read this book. It's beautiful. Sorry, I got a little shippy there *breathe*. Some of the other information about Fortuna was taken from ****_Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome_**** by E.M. Berens. Nothing really special about this book, just wanted to make sure you guys didn't think I was just pulling things out of thin air lol. Anyway, back to the story. I don't anything. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"What's wrong with you?"

Rose jumped to Jack's voice next to her. She looked around and recognized that she was about to walk into their physics class.

"Yeah, are you ok? You've been quiet this whole walk," Martha commented as they walked through the doors.

Rose stole a glance at the front of the room before they turned to find their seats: empty. She felt her body relax instantly.

She looked to her friends, who were staring at her as they waited for a response. "Oh, um. Yeah. Sorry. Just not feeling too well, that's all. Just sort of spacey."

The two studied her, but dropped it. Truth was, Rose's mind had been consumed by Professor Smith, or the Doctor as she had come to call him in her head.

She'd woken up two hours earlier than she needed to be up because she couldn't shake her anxiety. To her surprise, Clara was awake doing some last minute reading for her class when Rose got out of the shower.

Rose was desperate for someone to talk to about the situation, so she opened up to Clara. She was usually the one that Rose found herself talking to when she needed it.

She told her everything: the staying after class, the ride home, the looks in class, and everything that had happened the night before. Clara had sat quietly and listened intently. When Rose finished, she simply asked her how she felt about John. Rose couldn't answer. Clara asked if Rose wanted to be with John. Rose couldn't answer.

She had no idea. She didn't know what she felt towards John - but it was definitely something. She didn't know if she wanted to be with John, or if she didn't want to.

Clara realized that trying to find an answer wasn't what Rose needed right now. Just someone to listen to. She did have one thing to say about the situation at the end: Clara told Rose to be careful. She reminded her that John was her professor and the head of the department Rose was majoring and minoring in. She cautioned that getting involved with a teacher was more of a bad idea than good. Not just for her, but for him as well.

Rose had been thinking the same. That's all she could think of while they walked to class and she anticipated having to see him.

That's what she was doing now. Martha and Jack were talking some nonsense about a boy that Jack had met the day before. Rose tried to listen, but she couldn't pay attention. She just sat in her seat while her heart raced waiting for the teacher's arrival.

The door opened, and his tall, thin form entered through the frame. His head was down as he walked, looking straight to his podium as he began adjusting his things. He took off his coat, and underneath he bore a brown pinstripe suit with a blue collared shirt, paisley tie. And at his feet sat a pair of cream colored converse shoes.

This seemed to be his style, since Rose had first met the man she'd never seen him out of a pinstripe suit and converse. Sometimes the suit was shades of blue, sometimes brown, and once black. She had to admit, he did look quite spiffy in them.

She realized she was staring when he glanced up at her. She jumped, both inward and outwardly. But he looked away quickly, as if he was ashamed. That caused Rose's heart to sink.

Rose dropped her gaze to the notebook in front of her as she began doodling, waiting for him to start the class. The other night the group had watched an old movie from the 60's, and Rose couldn't get a certain bright blue police box out of her head. That's what she was beginning to doodle when Martha tapped her side.

Marta gestured for her to look forward. Reinette had walked into class, sporting an extravagant skirt and top. She stopped in front of the podium to talk to Professor Smith. "Could she be any more obvious?" Martha asked.

By now, Rose had already told Martha and Jack all about Reinette and the conversation they had at work. Jack had been disappointed, pointing out that such a personality caused even someone as gorgeous as Reinette to grow ugly in his eyes.

Rose didn't comment, but she watched as the blonde stood with her hip out as she tilted her head, leaning in slightly too close for Rose's comfort.

But Rose had no right to be jealous, did she?

And yet she watched John's face closely as he talked with the woman. He smiled at whatever she was saying and nodded his head, but his eyes kept moving back to his papers in front of him. He nodded slightly towards her seat as he talked with her, and she nodded and finally turned to leave. Reinette swayed her hips as she walked away from John, but he had already turned around to write on the board without noticing. Rose smiled to herself slightly, inwardly laughing at her failed attempt.

Professor Smith began class, and for a while Rose concentrated on her assignment. But mostly because she was still struggling on understanding the material.

Jack leaned over towards Rose when they were wrapping things up, "I don't mean to alarm you, but I think you have an admirer."

Rose creased her brow and tilted her head, silently asking what he meant.

Jack nodded down to the front of the room. "Every time I look up, John is always looking up and glancing at you. But only when your head is down. Seriously, I've caught him like 5 times."

Rose hid the nervous excitement she felt inside well as she gave Jack her best 'don't be silly' look and a shake of her head. But as her and Martha made their way to government, Rose's imagination was spinning. He was looking at her. So what did that mean? Did he look at everyone? Was Jack just messing with her?

Government started out as boring as it usually did, but Rose and Martha were beginning to notice a change in their teacher. Professor Saxon wasn't the greatest teacher, but his personality was always a spectacle to see. He was dramatic and boisterous; he really put his facial expressions into whatever it was he was saying. The classes didn't usually detour that often from his usual routine: spending the hour and a half period lecturing the chapters from the textbooks, while finding every opportunity he could to relate the topic he was teaching to a personal story of his. He was vain, sure. But he generally had a very mild demeanor while getting rather dramatic and ridiculous when he wanted.

But today was different. Professor Saxon seemed like he was in a bad mood. He did nothing but read the lecture slides in a frustrated tone; and when he called on a student who didn't know the answer, he called them unprepared and lazy. He was short tempered, it seemed.

Rose and Martha exchanged a nervous glance when the student was trying to make a smart remark towards the professor after he called him lazy.

Mr. Saxon paused his lecture to address the student. "Oh, so that was funny? Hmm. No. Funny, is like this" and he dramatically smiled, lifting his eye brows up high as he bore his teeth. "Not funny, is like this" and he pushed the ends of his lips downward until his mouth made a theatrical frown as he pushed his eye brows together in an angry crease. "And right now, I'm not like" he grinned again, "I'm like" he frowned, "because you are an insolent waste of an intelligent life sitting here in my classroom. Yes, you are! And here is your reward," and he walked over to the door, opening it and gesturing for the student to leave.

"You're insane," the student proclaimed as he walked through the door.

Professor Saxon only responded by throwing his two thumbs up towards the student as they left.

Rose knew that Martha didn't like him; she claimed he gave her an uneasy feeling. "I suppose he won't be coming back to class. He'll probably drop out; spirits crushed and all that," Martha whispered to Rose.

"Anyone else want to join him?" Professor Saxon asked when he walked back to his podium, looking up towards Martha.

The two girls shook their heads and stayed quiet for the remainder of the period.

When they were leaving the classroom, Rose swore she heard him mumbling as he packed up his stuff. Something about John and promotion and hate and stupid doctor. Rose wondered if he was referring to Professor Smith and his promotion, but she couldn't hear enough to be sure. And there was no way she was going to stick around and try to find out, even if her investigative reporter senses were tingling slightly.

History was easily Rose's favorite class, no matter who the professor was. Rose found that she thought about Chris more often outside the classroom, like when she was working on the readings or assignments. But in the classroom, her attention was cast to Professor Smith and what he was saying.

It was easier for Rose to concentrate in this class rather than in physics, and soon she had almost forgotten about John and the kiss.

That is, until class ended and he quietly asked her to stay after.

The room cleared, and silence filled the space.

Rose walked to the front of the room, though Professor Smith's eyes remained downward as he packed up his stuff.

She cleared her throat, "You wanted me to stay, _Doctor_."

He chuckled slightly, then finally looked up at her. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, a tick that she picked up on. "I just wanted to, um, apologize. What we did - what I did - was unprofessional. Completely out of hand; should have never happened. I'm just - I'm trying to say I'm sorry."

Rose smiled understandingly. "It's ok. I'm just as much to blame… Probably more. Definitely more, actually."

"But I'm the teacher; it's my job to keep things strictly academic."

"And I'm the student; it's my job not to pull my teacher in for a snog," she said with a chuckle, trying to ease the situation. She realized in this moment that no matter what feelings she _might _have or that he _might _have, this was their relationship. Student and teacher; friend and confidant. She didn't want things to be awkward, she didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Peace is what she wanted, and by not putting too much thought into what went on, she figured they could move on.

John laughed, and Rose noticed his cheeks blush slightly.

"Hey," she began, "why don't we just forget it happened? Aye?"

"Deny it ever happened?"

"What ever happened?" Rose asked with a cheeky grin.

John chuckled as he sat against the desk behind him, seeming a little more at ease. "So we're good? I didn't totally ruin you as my student?" Rose shook her head and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Good. Speaking of, have you thought any more on your project?"

Rose shook her head, "Every time I start to try to think of something, I get overwhelmed with options. And whenever I pick someone I think would be interesting, I get to thinking they would be too cliché or overused."

John nodded understandingly. "I anticipated that we would get a lot of people trying to pick the same more popular people. Next week I'm going to start up a list and have people sign up for what person they want to do and post it, that way everyone knows who's taken. If I could make a suggestion…" he paused to check her response, which was a nod in approval, "you should check out the Roman goddess Fortuna, or Tyche according to the Greeks. She's the goddess of good fortune, as her name implies. She personified that peculiar combination of circumstances which we call luck or fortune. She was considered to be the source of all unexpected events in human life, whether good or evil. The text just sort of glosses over her, so your presentation could provide the class with a lot of information they won't already know."

Rose pondered, "Why do you suggest her?"

"Just last weekend I went to the museum and saw her statue. She looks a lot like you - um. Well. I mean. You have similar features…"

Rose chuckled, "Doctor, are you saying I look like a goddess?"

"No! I mean, well, kind of. Not saying you aren't pretty enough to resemble a goddess. No, I mean. I shouldn't be calling you pretty at all. Not that I don't think that, it's just not appropriate to say. Or to think. Oi! What's wrong with me?"

Rose couldn't stop laughing as she listened to John rant on, trying to talk himself out of saying the wrong thing. "It's ok. I'm flattered." For the second time, Rose watched as John's cheeks deepened in color. "I'll look into her. Maybe I can dress up as her and pose as the statue for my presentation," she teased with a wink.

John laughed as he grinned that wide smile that Rose was beginning to really enjoy looking at.

"So tell me more about this goddess I resemble so much," Rose said as she dramatically flipped her hair behind her shoulder. She sat down next to John on the desk, leaving about an inch of space between the two. "You do seem to know a bit about her."

John chuckled, "Well, I am a history professor. But you're right; she's probably one of my favorite goddesses. There's nothing really fancy about her despite her being the daughter of Jupiter. But there's just something about luck." Rose watched as John talked. It was just like in class; he was getting so passionate about the things he was saying. "You know, there's so much of our lives that we can control. Our decisions we make, where we decide to go, what we do, who we're with. But there's so much we can't control. The weather, the Earth, the people around us, even our deepest emotions and feelings are sometimes out of our control," he looked over and met Rose's eyes, which were watching him intently. He cleared his throat. "But luck – whether it be good or bad – just sort of happens sometimes. And the Romans dedicated an entire goddess to these random acts of luck."

Rose scrunched her nose, "Do you believe in all that though – luck? There is that old saying that people make their own luck."

"That is true," John said with a smile and nod. "But so many things have to fall into the exact place for that to happen. You had to grow up in the exact way, make the exact friends, take the exact teachers, get close to the exact people, go through the exact turmoil and happiness, and do everything exactly the way you did for you to end up here right next to me, talking about the possibility of luck. Same for me. Even if I were some kind of ruler of time and space, there would even be some things that I couldn't control, right? Otherwise, what would that make me?"

"A god," Rose simply answered, totally wrapped up in the words that were pouring out of his mouth.

John smirked slightly, "Or a goddess."

Rose laughed, smiling as she bit on end of her tongue. "Oh, you cheeky man. You think you're so clever."

"I am so clever!" he replied defensively.

She laughed again, then looked up at the clock. Reluctantly, she groaned as she jumped down from the desk. "I better get off; gotta get ready for work. I'll look into Fortuna for the project."

"Are we still on for Friday after class?" John asked. "I figure we could use my office as a place to work."

Rose smiled, "Yes, sir! Goodbye, Doctor."

As Rose left the building, she pulled out her phone to turn it off silent. She noticed the blue light flashing, indicating a new text message. Rose's smile began to drop as she read the message. It was from Mickey; he was telling her that he wanted to come visit her tomorrow and that he would show up after her class. Without replying Rose put her phone back in her bag as she continued to walk to her dorm.

Her boyfriend wanted to come see her. She should have been happy; she should have butterflies in her stomach and a squeal in her lungs. But she didn't. And she found it tragic.

* * *

**"ImagineDaydreams: Once again, an absolutely amazing chapter...s! I could not stop smiling when I saw the double update, I swear! I seriously don't like Reinette, seems... , but OMG THEY KISSED! That was one of my favorite in the history of ever. Anyway, keep up the fantastic work and update soon!c:" I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to update! But I'm working on the next chapter now so hopefully it won't take as long! And there might be more smooching in the future ;) I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**"Dede42: Rose and the Doctor sitting in a tree! Couldn't resist after reading about that kiss. Love waking up to new updates, looking forward to Rose's new job, and I serious WANT to smack Reinette for being such a mean person who only thinks about herself. Update soon! Geronimo!" Haha I'm glad you liked it! And yes, Reinette is quite annoying - and unfortunately she won't stop being annoying! Lol. **

**"Pink Lady410: This is cute! Can't wait for another chapter!" Thank you! :)**

**"rotanrm: Marathon the last three chapters! Love love love it! Love that you put sarah jane in this fic! Can't wait for the next update!" I love Sarah Jane, especially her relationship with Rose in the show! I couldn't ****_not _****put her int he story! ;) **

**"Zarelyn: (Ch 1) Oh my gosh - this is fantastic! Not to steal a word or anything. But seriously, I love it, so much so that I can't wait until chapter 4 to review. Brilliant!" (Ch 4) "Aaaand here comes the drama! I really love how you're tying favorite lines from the show in - and so well, too! Sometimes when fanfic authors try that it comes across as forced, but here it fits perfectly." That's such a huge compliment! Thank you! I loooove adding in things from the actual show into my stories - it makes it feel more connected in my opinion. And to here that it works and people like it makes me feel so happy! :) **

**"Chikasumi Kurotsuki: Oh my goodness... I NEED MORE! I absolutely love the overall idea so far and I am desperate for more. And maybe some of John's POV. Anywho, please update ASAP" Thank you! You know, I've been thinking about maybe adding a chapter that's strictly John's POV. But I want to wait until some more information is thrown into the story. So maybe in a few chapters! **

**"bananas-are-good-9: (Ch 1) First chapter and I already love it. You wrote Ten (or John Smith in this case) so well and I love how you made the students characters from the show!" (Ch 4) "Oh my god...please update soon!" Thank you so much! :) **

**"Sachiel Angelo: Oh boy, I wonder how will you include the other doctor. This is so interesting! I love it!" Just a few chapters and you'll find out! :) **

**"GryffindorGrl97: I absolutely love this! and of course Reinette thinks she's gonna be able to get what she wants. well guess what Reginette! Rose wins this one! HA!" Rose wins all of them! Haha! And thank you! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Rose ran around the apartment in a frantic rush as she tried to brush her hair and pull over her shirt at the same time.

"I can't believe I'm finally getting to meet _the boyfriend_," Martha yelled out dramatically as she sat in the kitchen watching Rose run around. "In the three years that we've lived together I've never even seen his shadow."

Rose rolled her eyes, "It's not like I've been hiding him from you. You've just never been here whenever he's stopped by. He doesn't visit often, I don't know why he's just randomly coming over today."

"Checking up on you?"

"Mmm, I don't think so," Rose said, scrunching her nose as she finished applying her make up. "That's not much his style. It's only been like a month since I last went home and saw him. Maybe mum's been nagging him to visit."

"Maybe he just misses you," Martha reasoned.

Rose felt a ping of guilt pull at her as she considered this. "Maybe. That's not really him either."

"Well you don't sound very excited," Martha observed. "You've been complaining nonstop since you got home about having to rush to get ready and how he's throwing off your schedule."

With a shrug she made her way into the kitchen. There was something in Martha's voice that sounded frustrated, and Rose wondered if her roommate was annoyed with her haste… or if she was jealous.

It wasn't like Martha to get jealous, so Rose tried to push the theory aside. Out of all the girls in the dorm, Martha was probably the most private about her love life. The girls rarely heard her talk about boys she was interested in or found attractive – and she rarely went out on dates.

It wasn't that Martha wasn't pretty or that boys didn't like her. Quite the contrary. Martha was gorgeous and brilliant – quite the catch, Rose always thought. It was just that Martha was always so focused on school and her medical work that she didn't really have time to date. The last boyfriend Martha had was about a year ago, Riley Vashtee.

Rose had liked the guy well enough, he was good to Martha and seemed to make her happy. But as time progressed, the guy became a bit clingy and started getting upset over all the time Martha spent in the hospital and on school. Frustrated by his jealousy, she ended the relationship.

Since then there hadn't been anyone in Martha's life. In fact, Rose hadn't heard Martha finding any guy attractive lately – except Professor Smith.

A knock on the door interrupted Rose's thoughts as she ran to the bathroom to wrap herself up, calling out to Martha asking if she would get the door.

When Rose finally walked into the kitchen, Mickey was laughing at something Martha had said. She noticed Mickey's body language was nervous: he was blushing slightly, and his hands were shoved in his pockets. When he noticed Rose walking into the kitchen, his back straightened and his laugh dropped, his cheeks brightening.

"Did you two get acquainted?" Rose asked with a smile.

Mickey nodded, but avoided looking back towards Martha.

"We did! We were just discussing how weird it's been that we've never run into each other after all these years, but that we've heard good things about each other," Martha replied with a smile.

Rose chuckled, "Well you didn't think I would say bad things about my boyfriend to my best friend, did you? Or my best friend to my boyfriend?"

The group laughed in response.

"Are you ready to go?" Mickey asked as he began to open the door for her. Rose nodded and waved back to Martha as she walked through the doorway. "Nice to meet you again, Martha."

It was easy to fall back into the same routine when Rose began walking down the strip to the restaurant and linked her fingers between Mickey's. It was easy to hug on to his arm as the wind began to cut into her too thin jacket. It was easy to smile at his company and laugh when he said the right things. And it was even easy for Rose to bite her lip and nod in agreement when he rather timidly asked to get some drinks and then go to a hotel.

But as they sat down at the restaurant and ordered, Rose began to talk.

She updated him on her job, about her stories, about her upcoming promotion. Then she told him about her classes, about her teachers, about her assignments.

"John suggested I do Fortuna, the goddess of luck," Rose continued as she went into detail about her history project. "I figured I'd look into it; she's definitely a goddess that isn't as well known. Well, you know – compared to Zeus or Aphrodite or someone like that. He mentioned something about there being an exhibit with a statue of the goddess somewhere in town. I'll have to ask him where; I might go give it a look –"

"Who?" Mickey asked, looking up from his plate.

"John," Rose answered. "My teacher… The one who suggested –"

"Oh right," Mickey nodded as he returned his attention to his food. "Great, another teacher you're on a first name basis with."

"John's been very helpful and he's friendly to all his students, not just me." _I bet he doesn't kiss all his students_, Rose's conscious perked up. She shook the thought away, convincing herself that it was a one-time thing and it was over with. "Chris was my mentor. I'm so grateful to him," Rose went on as she continued eating her burger. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be on the track I'm on in school or with my job. I owe him so much."

Mickey scoffed, "Yeah, like almost being killed all of those times."

"You're exaggerating," Rose countered, picking up a chip and chewing on it. "Those were cases. I was getting real life experience in the investigative journalism field." Rose smirked slightly as she began thinking about all those times that she and Chris found themselves in over their heads. "Remember that first case he took me on when we infiltrated the National Trust organization at their benefit party at Platform One? We almost got held hostage when that crazy Cassandra decided to sabotage the party in order to get everyone's money. I still remember how sly I felt when I got the plumber, Raffalo, to get information. That's when we found those little robot spider things that were hidden everywhere –"

"And were going to blow up the building if the companies didn't cooperate. And thanks to you and Chris and that woman Jabe, from the Forest of whatever organization, who managed to find the switch to save everyone and then apprehend the crazy bitch, the National Trust and all the other companies that were at the benefit were saved," Mickey interrupted as he finished Rose's story in a bored, mocking tone.

Rose felt herself deflate; she sat back in her chair and stuck a chip in her mouth as she avoided eye contact with Mickey.

He sighed heavy, "I know all the stories, Rose. I've heard them a million times. I know how much you enjoyed your little adventures with Chris. Can't we just go on one date without you bringing them up? Or school? Or your job?"

"Just because Chris picked on you a bit -"

"A bit?!" Mickey exclaimed, then hushed when they noticed a few eyes turn their way. "The man called me _Rickey_! He was hogging your attention from me – even now he's gone and he's still doing it!"

"I offered for you to come with us a few times," Rose said quietly. "It's not my fault he said you weren't experienced enough, that he called you a liability."

Mickey shook his head, "That's not entirely true. He did ask me to join you but I didn't want to go; I couldn't do what you guys did. I asked him to pretend like I couldn't accompany you."

Rose sat in silence for a bit. She remembered how mad she had been when Chris had said those things about Mickey. And though now she probably wouldn't want him to come along, due to his inexperience and attitude about the whole thing – she didn't even care about Mickey chickening out on their investigations. All she could think about was how Chris had invited Mickey when she wanted him to, but then covered for Mickey and was the bigger person.

Mickey reached out and grabbed Rose's hand, pulling her out of her own thoughts. "I miss you, Rose. I miss us. You've changed so much since you've been away to school."

"Isn't that the point?" Rose asked, looking at his hand wrapped around her own.

Mickey shook his head and sighed, letting go of her hand. "Trisha Delaney asked me out."

Rose's head shot up to look at him, wondering if he was serious or not. Her mouth opened, and then closed, not really knowing how to respond. "T-Trisha, from the shop?"

Mickey nodded, still looking down at the table. "Yeah, Rob Delany's sister. She stops by work every now and then to say hi. I didn't think anything of it at first, but then she started hanging around longer and we would talk and hang out. Then she asked me out."

Rose always knew she was the jealous type, a trait she clearly inherited from her mother. She knew ever since kindergarten when Sue Parker said she was going to marry Jamie Reeves, the boy who sat next to her, and Rose pushed her off the jungle gym into the sand.

So she did the only sensible thing a jealous woman would do when she heard news that another girl wanted to date her boyfriend: she got defensive.

"Well, she's nice," she said bitterly as she tried to swallow the green monster boiling inside her. "She's a bit… big."

"She lost weight," Mickey retorted quickly. "You've been away."

Rose bit the inside of her cheek, "Well, good for you. She's nice."

The waitress took this opportunity to drop off the check. Mickey threw a few dollars down and grabbed his coat as Rose began to slide out of her chair and walk towards the exit.

Rose was trying to make sense out of everything that had just happened. Why would he tell her that? Did he want to date Trisha? Was that his way of breaking up with her? Of telling her he wanted to see someone else? Was he _trying_ to make her jealous?

While they began walking down the sidewalk, Mickey broke the silence. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Don't mind," Rose replied quickly, still avoiding his gaze.

"We could ask about hotels."

"What would Trisha Delaney say?" she asked with a bite of mockery.

Mickey nodded. "I suppose. There's a bar down there with a Spanish name or something –"

"You don't even like Trisha Delaney!" Rose finally said as she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to turn towards him.

"Oh, is that right?" Mickey replied as he turned towards her. "What the hell do you know?"

"I know you, and I know her. And I know that's _never_ gonna happen. So who do you think you're kidding?" Rose finally said, addressing the question of whether he was telling her this on purpose to get her riled up.

Mickey took a few steps closer to Rose, "At least I know where she is! At least I see her regularly! At least I know she's not going to get herself arrested or killed trying to find the latest scandal!"

It wasn't like Mickey and Rose had never fought before. They'd broken up more than once since they got together over 6 years ago. She'd screamed at him and he'd thrown tantrums. But this – this was different. This felt different. Rose took a step back as her voice lowered. She nodded, "There we are then. It's got nothing to do with Trisha – this is all about me, isn't it?"

"You left me!" Mickey shouted, and if they had been paying attention they would have noticed the looks the people walking by them were giving. "We were nice; we were happy. And then what? You give me and kiss and run off to school and you left me. You visit for holiday every now and then. And when I do see you, it's all about Chris or your job or your classes and now this John bloke – all things I can't relate to. You make me feel like nothing, Rose." Rose could hear the trimmer in his voice as his eyes began to water. She felt her body mirror his; her anger dropping and transforming into guilt. Guilty of growing without him, of leaving him stationary as she moved forward. Mickey took a deep breath as wiped his face with his hand, trying to swallow the tears that had pooled in the corner of his eyes. "I thought after Chris… you know; that it would be better, for us. That you would dedicate yourself to our relationship again."

"What do you expect from me, Mickey?" Rose asked as she felt a tear fall down her cheek. "That I would drop out of school, move back into mum's apartment? Live the rest of my life in that flat, go back working in that shop that I _hated _so much? Just so that you could feel like you had a girlfriend again?"

Mickey shook his head, "What do you expect from me then? Am I just supposed to sit here for the rest of my life, waiting for you? Because I will."

Flashes of her conversation with Amy invaded her thoughts. Of how she felt when Amy said that she believed Rory would wait for her forever if she asked him to; of how she never for a second doubted whether he would. Mickey wouldn't wait, Rose believed. He said he would, but he wouldn't. And he shouldn't. That wasn't fair of her to ask that of him.

Her eyes were watery as she tried to push back the tears that had already dampened her cheeks. "I'm sorry," was the only thing she could come up with.

"Rose, I lost you once when you first left for college to that idiot Jimmy Stone. But I was here when you came back," Mickey expressed. "Is that what I'm supposed to do every time you decide you want to go experience something new about life? Sit back here on Earth while you go journey the stars?"

"No," Rose answered, still unsure of what it was she wanted to say.

Mickey reached for her hand and squeezed it. It was moments like those that reminded Rose of their relationship prior to their romance. Of their friendship, of all the times they'd been there for each other throughout their entire lives. "I'm not asking you to leave here, cause I know that's not fair. But I just need something, yeah? Some sort of promise that, when you do come back, you're coming back for me."

Not much was said after that. The time spent driving back to Rose's dorm was mainly Mickey filling Rose in on what her mother was up to recently. About how she'd been seeing Howard from the market, something Rose wasn't sure she approved of.

When they got to the door, Rose felt her feet grow heavy beneath her. She didn't know what to do; if she walked through that door, what would that mean for the two of them? Before she could think on it any further, Mickey simply hugged her.

Rose opened the door and stepped through the arch as his last words echoed through her.

"_You just do whatever you need to do. Be who you need to be. And if you come back to me, well, we'll pick things up when the time comes." _

Martha was sitting in the kitchen with some kind of complicated biology textbook open and a notebook; Amy was sitting crisscross on the couch with all her papers, textbook, and laptop sprawled out around her.

"So how was your date?" Martha sang as she smiled brightly to Rose.

"Date?" Amy interrupted, springing up from her seat and sashaying into the kitchen to join the conversation.

Martha chuckled, "Yeah, I finally got to meet Mickey. He's a lot cuter in person as opposed to the pictures of the two of you. He's pretty funny too," she commented, "you're very lucky."

Rose wanted to tell them about what had happened, but since she wasn't even sure herself, she decided to just smile appreciatively and nod.

"Someone sounds like they need a boyfriend," Amy teased as she grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit in the middle of the table.

Martha tried to hide her blush, but it was clear that this hadn't been the first time she'd considered Amy's comment. "I don't _need _a boyfriend. I'm doing just fine with my life, thank you."

"But you wouldn't _mind _it if a guy just happened to show up and pine for you?" Amy said with a wink. "The way you were going on earlier about Professor Smith proves that."

Rose's head shot up at his name. Her eye brows creased as she looked to Martha, who shook her head and laughed.

"I wasn't going on about him!" Martha exclaimed protectively. "I was just telling you about our conversation."

"Conversation?" Rose asked rather quickly, trying hard not to sound jealous or defensive.

Martha smiled, "Yeah, ran into him in the courtyard after you left when I went to turn in a paper. He asked about my classes and my major. Apparently he's really interested in biology –"

"He's got a degree in it," Rose interrupted. The two girls looked at her. "He, uh. He mentioned it when I ran into him at Donna's. They're old friends."

"Well, it's rumored around the school that he's the hottie of the professors," Amy commented as she swallowed another bite of her apple. "He has all his students and staff members charmed."

Martha giggled, "And he's not just handsome, he's so smart! It was so much fun talking about biology with someone who understands what I'm saying."

"Hey!" Rose and Amy exclaimed simultaneously.

"It's true!" Martha replied. "I only have Rory, and he's in a different field than I am. But Professor Smith was so awesome. I tried so hard not to fawn over him."

"You're not the only one," Amy added, "I haven't even met him and I hear so much about him. Like Professor Song," she pointed to Rose, referencing their anthropology teacher. "She made a comment about how she wouldn't mind having a go at him in a few years when he's matured a little."

All the girls laughed at the audacious teacher. Professor River Song had made an impression on Amy, Rose had noticed. And it wasn't surprising. The two women had similar personalities and Professor Song was always making class so interesting. Rose really enjoyed her passion for the subject she was teaching and her real life archeology stories. She was bold and loud and mischievous; three traits both Amy and Rose could relate to.

It was no surprise to Rose that the teacher would say such a thing about Professor Smith. She thought about telling John about her comment when she saw him next; he'd get a kick out of it.

Martha broke her laugh. "Well, maybe after I graduate and become a famous doctor he'll fawn over me," she said as she dramatically fanned herself.

Before Rose could fake a supportive smile to her friend, the dorm door began to open. The three ladies turned to see Rory walking through with a bag of groceries and a vase of sunflowers, dressed in his scrubs.

Amy smiled brightly and hopped out of her seat to greet him with a warm hug and kiss. She took the flowers from him and raved about how gorgeous they were.

"Well, they are your favorite."

Rose felt her heart sink slightly as she watched the two exchange heartfelt words, thinking about her own date. She tried hard not to compare her own relationship to Amy's, but it was hard. Their stories were so similar – it was hard watching one couple turn out so perfect when her own was crumbling.

"Did the guy with his foot stuck in the toilet come back in today?" Amy asked as she grabbed a bag from Rory.

"Yes, _again._"

The girls giggled. "I think he's got a thing for you," Rose said. "I mean, how do you even get your foot stuck in the toilet? Not to mention doing it, what's this? Five times now? And every time you just happen to be on transportation duty?" Rory rolled his eyes as the women cooed. "I think someone's got himself an admirer."

"I also brought some desert to make for everyone," Rory announced, ignoring Rose's comments – which only made the girls laugh harder. "Who's up for brownies and ice cream?"

Luckily Rory had bought two boxes to make, because Rose and Amy ended up eating most of the mix of the first batch before they were able to stick it in the oven. By the time the brownies were ready, Clara was walking into the dorm, greeted by the cheers of the four, who had begun playing music.

Rose had almost forgotten about her date and her talk with Mickey. She was among her friends; her family. She was happy, and there was no way she was ever going to apologize for that.

* * *

**"Dede42: Hmm, looks like the Mas- I mean Saxxon doesn't exactly like John very much does he? Not really a surprise, probably was hoping to get the department position. Looking forward to the next chapter. Update soon! Geronimo!" You can't see me, but I'm touching my nose with my pointer finger ;) Sorry this took so long to update! **

**"ImagineDaydreams: Great chapter! Absolutely fantastic! I could literally feel the awkwardness when he called her to stay after class, I got really uncomfortable. cx And don't worry about taking so long to update, I have stories on Wattpad that I haven't updated since June so, I understand. Aha, keep up the amazing work and update whenever you can! :)" Thank you so much! That's so sweet to hear lol because I end up feeling really guilty whenever I take so long to update, as I did with this chapter. But I'm glad that you are enjoying it and that the tone is well written enough for you to feel it! :) **

**"Dovaah: Loving this! Finally, someone who dislikes Reinette as strongly as I." Haha! Let's just say that Girl in the Fireplace is not one of my favorites. I don't exactly ****_hate _****her, there's just a lot of things about her that I didn't like. She had a lot of potential and it just... didn't happen lol. But I'm glad you're liking the story! :) **

**"Unbroken854: Nice job! I do have some nit-picky stuff I don't like, but they don't ruin the story overall. Nice job!" Thank you! :) **

**"Guest: This last chapter is so good! I can't wait to see what happens next and how things will go! I am on my toes waiting to see what Reintte will do to mess things up, aaahhhh! Great work! -LidCap" She's definitely going to do some screwy things! But not before Rose and John get a little closer ;) spoilers! **

**"BadWolfIsComing: This was amazing! I couldn't keep the smile off my face as the Doctor (or John Smith) stumbled over his words! It actually made me laugh out loud! This is officially my favorite piece of fanfiction :)" You and Rose both ;) haha! Yay! I'm so glad you like it! :) **

**"GryffindorGrl97: I NEED TO READ THE STONE ROSE! I SAW A PICTURE ON TUMBLER OF THE KISS IN IT! AJNDNDJDKDJFNFKF" YES YOU DO! Lol. I suggest finding the audiobook of it where David Tennant is reading it (it's abridged, but still has all the good parts) because he's so funny with his voices lol. And his intimidation of Mickey is just gold lol. Plus, you know, he talks about Rose and Ten kissing! ;) **

**"Hey guys bored: LOVE LOVE LOVE UPDATE SOON PLZ" Sorry this took so long to update! But I'm glad you like it! :) **

**"MidnightForever17" I'm going to respond one chapter at a time! Lol but I love your reviews! (Ch 1) It does make sense! I, too, aren't overly fond of them. Especially when you're reading fanfiction because chances are the reader already knows about the characters background. But I wanted to just establish some things that define these characters, and the first chapter just seemed like a good place lol. I'm honored that you liked mine though! And the next chapter is definitely going to go into more of the whole Nine and Ten (or Chris and John) relationship, and will also include how Eleven (or Matt lol) is involved. I hope you all like it! (Ch 2) I ****_love _****including little things from the real show into my story. I think it's not only fitting, but makes it easier to relate to the story because you have those prior emotions developed from the real lines and stories. I wanted to make a story that included all the characters. Because, despite us all having our favorites (obviously mine's Rose lol), all the companions are important. So I just felt like it was only fitting to include them all! (Ch 3) Yes! Well, the name Biggles comes from "The Girl Who Waited" where Amy is talking to her older version and mentions her favorite cat Biggles. But I wanted to turn it into that same cat from "Fear Her" so I made it an orange tabby! And I understand. I think most Rose/Ten shippers dislike "Girl in the Fireplace" and Reinette. Personally, there's a lot of things about both the episode and the character that I can't stand. But I thought it was only fitting to make her the sort of female antagonist. I'm trying very hard not to make her over the top, but she's definitely going to represent the "mistress" characteristic that the one in the episode had. And no, you are not paranoid with Sarah Jane's husband's name being Louis. It was very intentional... (Ch 4) Haha I love that the chapter had that affect on you! That's such a huge compliment! And I promise that more explanation on what John seems to "know" will be answered next chapter! (Ch 5) I'm so glad that you like it and love the enthusiasm! :) I smile like an idiot when I read your reviews. There is so much to the story that's yet to be revealed! I think I'm going to start making the chapters longer (as I've sort of done with this one). I hope you like this chapter and the extra puzzle piece that's fallen with the little bit of background into Rose and Chris's past! :) Looking forward to your review! **

**"Nerdette92: Oh my gosh, best story ever! Its so cute, and dramatic and well written. Its a pleasure to read it. But what's going to happen with Mickey? Ahh I must know!" I'm so glad you like it! :) **

**"Ruth: Great chapter. Things are starting t heat up and 10 and rose are sooooo cute" Thank you! They are! :) **

**"rotanrm: Great chapter! Looks like things are starting to heat up between John and Rose ;))) Love how you wrote clara here. I can see her being the type who is good at listening to her friends problems. But gosh Mickey at the end! Now i need the next chapter to see how this will turn out!" Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and what happened with Mickey! I promise this isn't the last of him. **

**"Im-wanderlust: gosh I'm in love with this story! can't wait for an update!" Thank you! :) I'm so glad you like it! **

**"Random User OuO: Omg love it. Update quickly, please? :3" Thank you! I'm sorry this took so long to update! **

**"Abbie: Oh my gosh I absolutely adore this fic! Perfect transition from fictional universe into 'the real world' I haven't seen a 10/Rose fic like it yet and it's fantastically written, update soon please x" Ahh that's so sweet of you to say! I actually looked through the tag some to make sure that there wasn't already a story like this (also because if there was a story like this I really wanted to read it lol) before I started writing it. But I've gotten so much positive feedback from lovely reviewers like yourself that I'm overwhelmed with excitement to write it! :) **

**"Some Whovian: I hate to be THAT reviewer but I hope you update soon! I really like this story and I can't wait to see what happens. Keep up the good work :)" You can be THAT reviewer all you want! I just love reading how much you enjoy the story! I'm sorry this took so long to update; I'll try very hard not to let so much time pass by for the next chapter! :) **

**"jabemarblecake: update please! :) this is the only fanfic I check almost daily for an update" That's such a huge compliment! :) I'm so glad you enjoy it that much! I promise I will try not to let so much time pass by for the next chapter! **

**"Branchpelt The Cool: Update soonziez." :) **


End file.
